Issue 11, February 2014 Remember the HeirWalk Creed: Connect-Learn-Grow-Shine Remember the HeirWalk Creed: Connect-Learn-Grow-Shine It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. T he words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63 [NKJV] It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. T he words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63 [NKJV] Three of my writer friends will be sharing one thing from what the Lord has taught them since the year started. Like Isaiah, they will be providing soothing words to you from their bank of divine inspiration [Isaiah 50:4]. I hope that this will stimulate you to pay attention to God's voice as he speaks to you daily. Read and be blessed. NB: Back issues are available on the Blog. Jesus said this of the words he spoke to his disciples while he was on earth. The same is true of all God's words which he speaks today. Those impactful words will not return to Him void. As they created the world, they still make the things happen that He wants to happen, and they succeed in doing what He sends them to do. February HeirWalk issue is tagged Inspirations. CONTRIBUTORS Joshua to connect young people to God and the abundant life. Visit his blog at www.heirwalk.wordpress.com to connect, learn, grow and shine. Babarinde writes Yomi oloruntoba - a God chaser, Psalmist, Art and music lover. Emmanuel Onimisi (@EmmanuelOnimisi) is a writer and cartoonist that loves Jesus and creativity... in that order. You can read more stories from him at his blog at www.emmanuelpresents.wordpress.com Oluwatoba Babarinsa is open to to imaginations, that's why he loves poems! They make him think possibilities. Reach him on [email protected]to share your story. theme: inspirations
Transcript
Issue 11, February 2014
Remember the HeirWalk Creed: Connect-Learn-Grow-ShineRemember the HeirWalk Creed: Connect-Learn-Grow-Shine
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
T he words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63 [NKJV]
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
T he words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63 [NKJV]
Three of my writer friends will be sharing one thing from what the Lord has taught them since the year started.
Like Isaiah, they will be providing soothing words to you from their bank of divine inspiration [Isaiah 50:4].
I hope that this will stimulate you to pay attention to God's voice as he speaks to you daily.
Read and be blessed.
NB: Back issues are available on the Blog.
Jesus said this of the words he spoke to his disciples while he was on earth. The same is true of all God's words which he speaks today. Those impactful words will not return to Him void.
As they created the world, they still make the things happen that He wants to happen, and they succeed in doing what He sends them to do.
February HeirWalk issue is tagged Inspirations.
CONTRIBUTORSJoshua to connect young people to God and the abundant life. Visit his blog at www.heirwalk.wordpress.com to connect, learn, grow and shine.
Babarinde writes
Yomi oloruntoba - a God chaser, Psalmist, Art and music lover.
Emmanuel Onimisi (@EmmanuelOnimisi) is a
writer and cartoonist that loves Jesus and creativity... in that
order. You can read more stories from him at his blog at
www.emmanuelpresents.wordpress.com
Oluwatoba Babarinsa is open to to imaginations, that's why he loves poems! They make him
The house was spick and span - Dad would be happy. She sat at on a stool and stretched her legs, satisfied with the work she had done in the house. She didn't clean because she was coerced into doing that. In fact, she loved it when things are prim and proper.
More so, she always wanted her parents to smile. It took only few muscles to smile and some chemicals that strengthen the body are released when you smile. She wanted her parents to live strengthened and happy, so she did her chores well.
As she turned out towards the door, the dark room lit up. She thought electricity had been restored so she flicked off the switch. No. The brightness persisted and then she heard a masculine voice.
“Mary.”
Mary was a virgin when God said she would conceive a child. That was clearly impossible by human reasoning.
I want you to top that difficult chemistry class. I want you to be a missionary. I want you to forgive Sade.
What is God telling you to do? How do we respond when God asks us to do something impossible like this? Let's learn from Mary today.
O f t e n t i m e s , w h e n we a r e overwhelmed with great responsibility in
our Christian life and service, we are tempted to ask, like Mary did: How will these things be?
We feel inadequate when we compare responsibility in the light of our little abilities. But as I read through Mary's story, I discovered that God didn't intend to laden us with responsibility without first empowering us with the ability to do it. He doesn't say what He doesn't mean.
He meant for Mary to bear the Christ. He means for you to take up that great responsibility. He means for you to make better choices in your life and live sanctified.
The angel told Mary: the power of God will come upon you. That is what makes the difference. God always gives you the ability to accomplish all he asks
Mary and the Angel[this article appeared first on the HeirWalk Blog under the title 'the impossible']
Joshua Babarinde
you to do. Also, God will show you an example of someone who has passed through that situation and was empowered like was Elizabeth an example to Mary.
'for with God, nothing will be impossible.'
In essence, it isn't really us doing anything, it's actually God at work in us - all He wants from us is to submit so that He can express his divinity through us. It's not your life anyway!
Mary submitted to God, and so the world had her saviour. You may never really know how many people will be blessed or what remarkable result is tied to your obedience.
What is God telling you to do? See, He has made available to power to do it. Let your response be, “Let it be to me according to your word.”
- Luke 1:26-38
This 7-letter word that connotes a lot of
meaning - it means to dislike somebody or
something intensely. It has started several fires,
crushed hope and broken hearts several times.
It could be that a person despises himself,
or someone else. It is an ardent result of the
meditations of his heart. It most often stems
from comparison, comparing one person with
another, or a group of people.
For some interesting reason, the word,
'DESPISE' caught my attention, as a sentence
crossed my mind: Despise not the days of
little beginnings.
Facts to note
Ecclesiastes 3:2 - to everything, there is a time and
season.
Big trees do not grow big in a day. They
pass through a period of growth. For trees
with seeds, there is a time when seeds are sown,
a time when the sprout is seen, and when it
eventually becomes a full grown tree.
It doesn't happen overnight. A strong
sturdy tree in one night would mean a miracle,
or Jack and the beanstalk.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
10 of the 12 spies sent out to spy out
Jericho painted a blown up description of the
Philistines and made the children of Israel cry
out in fear, weeping that they were as
grasshoppers before the Philistines.
They had forgotten at that moment the
powerful God so in love with them, who
would give up nations for them. They
believed the evil report with all their heart.
DESPISE Oluyomi Oloruntoba
Golden Text:Psalm 18:30 - The ways of God are without fault. The Lord's words are pure. He is a shield to those who trust him. [NCV]
continued on back page
Guest Post by Emmanuel Onimisi
4
Christ came into my house, and He the place!HIS VISIT TO MY HOUSE WAS
inevitable. You see, I had this long list of
crimes over my head, but He paid the fines for
me. His only condition was to be my master
and friend from then on, and I thought, “Hey,
no biggie. Bring it on!” It's a much longer story;
maybe I'll tell you about it someday. And He's
such an amazing friend, I tell you. So it wasn't
going to be long before He became a guest at
my house.
I was glad to bring him in. My house is not
like the ordinary digs you probably imagine.
It's a mansion handed down to me by my
parents. I call it Heart Castle. It's so big that I
could not imagine just leaving most of the
space so empty, so I converted it into a
Business Centre. It's got shops, offices,
cinemas – it puts your city mall to shame. And
it's all happening at my Heart Castle. So, of
course, I was glad to show my new Friend
around.
We walked through the main court, where
lots of traders were selling their stuff. Goods
and foods from all over the world were on sale
there, and I explained what some of them
were to Him. I'm not sure if it was just me, but
he was mostly silent through it all, except
when He was asking questions. He was
particularly interested in the interactive
screens running commercials overhead.
“It's been running the same commercial
over and over,” he said.
I stared at it. The words on the screen
were, 'I BELIEVE IN MYSELF'. “Hmm, I
never noticed that before. Self Esteem Media
runs the screens and P. A. system here, on
contract basis. I never interfere.”
We moved on. When we got to the bomb
factories in the basement–“Purely for defense
purposes,” I explained – He noted that most of
the missiles under construction were labeled
with harsh words like 'Fool', 'Idiot', and other
words worthy of a potty mouth. “I need a
good comeback when someone makes me
vexed,” I explained further.
So that's how we went. I'd show him a
shop, and He'd comment on the name of the
shop. I always assumed their names had
nothing to do with what they sold. Shops like
Pride Ventures, Malice Holdings, Apathy
Engineering Inc. and such filled the court, and
I never noticed. Even the cinema played less
than family-friendly movies. And this was my
house. By this time, I was feeling quite
embarrassed.
Jesus turned to me and said, “How much
do they pay for rent?”
I shrugged, and then it dawned on me.
“Nothing. I actually pay them to use my
space.”
“You pay them? You realize that you gain
nothing, right?”
I lowered my head to cover my
embarrassment. “Yeesh, I never really thought
of that.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I
please turn over
understand. You're lonely. You want to fill
your house up with all these people so you
won't feel empty, but they are only cheats and
thieves. They are not the ones you need. This
house was not built to just be a mansion, or a
marketplace. It was made to be my house.”
I stared into His eyes. “Your house?”
He pointed to a plaque on the wall, on
which was written 'PROPERTY OF JESUS
CHRIST, since the beginning of time'. To be
honest, I had lived in that house all my life and
never noticed that plaque. I turned to him.
“Really?”
“I can make you overflow with abundant
life, and you will never lose to these cheats
again. I can make you live to the full, and the
returns will be of eternal proportions. Let Me
be the master of your house.”
I knew He had the best intentions in mind
for me. I knew that He could run this house
better than I could. He was right. I could never
expand this house, what with all my money
going into renting my space out to those
cheats. So I nodded. “Feel free. It's Your
house, now.”
He smiled. “Thank you.” And in the very
next breath, he lifted a table from one of the
shops (its contents dropping to the ground)
and hurled it – really! He threw that thing! –
into the screen hanging overhead. With a loud
crash, glass rained down on the floor.
Everyone in the room gasped, turning to
him. You could probably hear a pin drop in
the silence that followed.
I was stunned. What had just happened? I
subconsciously pointed at him, “Hey, He did
it! Not me!” I muttered.
“This is My house!” He yelled. “It is to be a
house of prayer for all nations, not this … den
of thieves! You are no longer welcome. Leave
now, or else…”
He had not finished talking before they
began to close shop. In the frenzy that
followed, they hurriedly packed up their
belongings, and dashed out. It was like a traffic
jam in there that day, as all those businessmen
and women tried to lug their goods out the
door.
The men from the bomb factory carried
their missiles out on their shoulders. It took
over an hour for all of them to be gone,
leaving their trashed tables and lots of broken
glass on the floor.
And then the place was empty. I could hear
the echo of my own breathing. I should have
felt happy, but I didn't. This had been my life
until now, and Jesus had just trashed the place.
He turned to me, compassion in His eyes,
and said. “Don't worry. Now, it's time to be
filled.”
He made a phone call, and a group of
cleaners –Word Interior Decorators— came
in, almost immediately. They began to clean
up the place, taking out the trash. They
redecorated the courts, placed new fixtures in
5please turn over
Jesus came into my House, and He trashed the Place!Jesus came into my House, and He trashed the Place!
read the blog on:
the walls, and even redesigned the basement.
By the end of the day, they were not even
done, but the place looked totally new. I could
not believe this had been the bustling
marketplace it had been in the morning. I
wish I could show you a picture.
I turned to Jesus, His hand around my
shoulders. “Is this it? Is it just you and I in this
… beautiful place?”
He smiled. “Nope. Now, this place can
fulfill the purpose for which it was built.”
“And what is that?”
The doorbell rang. That was strange. I had
never had a doorbell before. And the song
that it played made me laugh, I don't know
why. Jesus nudged me towards the door. “Go
on. Go see who it is.”
When I opened the door, I saw this crowd
of people— men and women and children.
They were not the business people that had
been here before. They were the sort of
people I never used to give a second thought;
those I called 'street people'.
Some of them were blind, some of them
were lame. Some of them had sicknesses I
could not even name.
“I hear Jesus is in here,” an old man in
front said.
“He sure is,” I replied, a smile on my face.
His eyes lit up. “Can we meet Him?”
From behind me, Jesus called, “I would
love to meet him! All of them! Bring them
in!”
I smiled. “You heard the Man. Come on
in.” And that's how it all began. The people of
the streets came into my house to meet Jesus,
and it was so amazing!
The news spread, and more people came
in. He healed those that were sick. He
encouraged them with His words. He played
with them … and I joined in too. We prayed
with them. In a very funny way, I felt this was
what I was born to do.
When they were going out, one of the
children came to me. “Thank you for letting
us in,” she said.
“Thank Him,” I said. “He made it all
happen.”
In the days that followed, I began to see
things more clearly. The Heart Castle was
not my house anymore. It was His. I did not
need to fill it with stuff to make me feel less
lonely. He brought people to me –to
Himself really— and the house was always
full. And Jesus healed them all.
The Word Interior Decorators keep
adding extensions to the house, and so it
keeps expanding. I had never seen such
increase before. I've never felt so happy.
There's no one that is not welcome in Heart
Castle anymore, because Jesus lives in there.
And you know what runs on the screens
now? 'JESUS LOVES YOU SOOOO
MUCH!' And everyone that comes in sees it
… and experiences it too.
I guess it was a good thing that He
trashed the place.
And He said to them, “It is written, 'My house
shall be called a house of prayer', but you have
made it a 'den of thieves.'
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the
temple, and He healed them.
- Matthew 21:13, 14.
Jesus came into my House, and He trashed the Place!Jesus came into my House, and He trashed the Place!
the SECOND man
a poem
1Would you take the place of this man?
Who chose to bear the burden of all?
Asking, would you take the place of this man?
Who chose to bear the burden of all?2Would you suffer for His right?
Since He chose to suffer for man's fall?
3Who'd choose to come distant second?
Since everyone wants to be first
Pleading, who'd choose to come distant
second?
Since everyone wants to be first
Who would exercise patient perseverance?
To quench every others' thirst
Who will play second fiddle?
As if there was no other role to play
Eh, who will play second fiddle?
Is there no other role to play?
I'll rather choose to stay idle4Than refuse to have my say
HEIRWALK is an initiative of TreasureHouse Media (Matt 13:52), borne out of a passion to see sons and daughters of God truly live the kind of abundant life God calls them to live in Christ and so attract outsiders to the Kingdom (Matt 5:16, Rom 8:19-20).
